Hosting a discussion about ageism

• What aspects of ageism would I like to address with this group?
• What are my goals for the discussion? What would I like to get out of it? For example, is the focus brainstorming how to challenge stereotypes? Providing a space for people to share their own experiences?
• What change do I want to help bring about?
• Is it a one-off discussion or might we meet more than once?
• Who should be included in the group?
• What venue should we use?

• A small group of friends or members of a local club meeting once or twice – a bit like a book club discussion.
• A workshop with colleagues at your workplace.
• A larger, public meeting where you invite panellists such as councillors and MPs, professionals from local organisations and services (don’t forget to see if you’re part of an Age-friendly Community and invite a representative along!).

• A mix of all ages or a specific age group, such as people over 50?
• Friends and family members
• People from local clubs or services you attend, or organisations you volunteer at
• Workplace colleagues, including managers
• Local councils, health and wellbeing boards, the voluntary sector in your area
• Your local Age-friendly Community members
• Local stakeholders who work with or represent older people from charity, private and public settings

• Welcome
• Introductions – introduce yourself and invite people to introduce themselves (consider using nametags or starting off with a short ice breaker activity for groups who don’t know each other)
• Purpose – describe your aims and plan for the time you have together
• Establish ground rules (see a possible list to get you going below)
• Prompt discussion through questions (we’ve given you some suggestions below, but you may already know what aspects of ageism you want to explore). It helps to summarise what people have said from time to time throughout the session, and make sure that all voices are heard (for example, focus on keeping a respectful and welcoming environment throughout, or kindly managing people’s input to make sure there is time to hear from everyone).
• Summarise the entire session before wrapping up and thanking everyone for attending

You can go through these at the start of the event and invite the group to make changes and suggestions. This helps to create a safe space and ensure that the environment is welcoming and inclusive.

• Be present: Let’s try and ignore phones, electronic devises, our mental to-do list and what’s going on around us so we can give this session our full attention.​
• Listen and ask questions: Let’s take a curious stance, speak from our own experiences, and ask each other questions​
• Respect people’s confidentiality: At the end of the conversation, take the learning with you, but leave names and specifics behind​
• Participate to the fullest of your ability: Try to include every individual voice in the room, including your own

Asking open-ended questions encourages people to think deeply and share their own perspectives for an interesting discussion. 

To set the context 

• What does the word ‘ageism’ mean to you? Have you heard it before?
• Do you think ageism exists in this country? if so, what does it look like and how can it show up?
• In what ways does ageism impact your everyday life?
• Why is it important to talk about ageism?
• What is it about ageism that worries you the most?
• What things do you think need to change to help end ageism? 

To help people to explore their own beliefs about ageing:

• What beliefs about ageing do you hold?
• How do you feel about telling people your age?
• Think of a situation in which you wanted to know a person’s age. Why? What changed when you learnt it?
• How do you think attitudes have changed since your parents were your age? What has stayed the same?
• When do you recall first noticing age differences?
• Do you think in negative ways about yourself as you get older?
• Does your age lead you to limit the activities you do or the way you live your life (for example, only taking part in what you / others consider “age appropriate” activities, or dressing in an ’age appropriate’ ways). 

To help people explore their own experiences:

• What does the statement ‘You look good for your age’? imply about being older?
• Have you ever witnessed someone being treated unfairly because of their age? If so, how did you respond? How did it make you feel?
• Where do you notice ageism in your life (it could be your personal life, career, healthcare, in the media, on TV, or in advertising)? 
• How does this affect the way you think about ageing?
• Have you ever experienced a situation in which your age seemed to contribute to a problem or uncomfortable situation?
• What have you heard others say about your age or other people’s age? How did it make you feel? How did it impact your perspective, including your thoughts, feelings and actions towards others and towards yourself?

• Provide resources afterwards, such as links to the Age Without Limits website key pages or other materials that people can refer to after the session and keep the conversation going. 
• Follow up after the discussion to say thank you and you could include a summary of the key themes covered in the session. This helps keep the momentum going and shows everyone that their contributions are valued and important.